


A Soft Place to Fall

by Drosselmeyer



Series: Married, Magical, Mundane Life [5]
Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Marriage, Married Life, Mates, Modern Era, Old Married Couple, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-14
Updated: 2020-08-14
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:36:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25892221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Drosselmeyer/pseuds/Drosselmeyer
Summary: Everyone has a bad day for no reason at times, and Kagome is no different...
Relationships: Higurashi Kagome & Sesshoumaru, Higurashi Kagome/Sesshoumaru
Series: Married, Magical, Mundane Life [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1754086
Comments: 34
Kudos: 112
Collections: Fics in the Time of Coronavirus, Sesskag Fluff - Domestic Fluff and Family Feels





	A Soft Place to Fall

There was something to be said for centuries together.

The setting sun cast warm beams over the front porch where Kagome sat on the swing, expectant eyes darting to the driveway every few minutes while her ears strained for the hum of a familiar engine.

Not for the first time, she wished she had his hearing.

But even with the sounds of the other cars and delighted shrieks of the neighborhood children finishing up a last round of tag for the day, she knew that engine by heart and would have found it among the evening cacophony anyway.

Still, nothing.

Tears pricked behind her eyes, and she sighed, stretching her legs out as she leaned back against the swing’s arm. It wasn’t really something that she could explain, this feeling that weighed down on her. But it was heavy and oppressive, and even without an explanation, it bothered her as much as any problem that she understood the root of.

A warm breeze blew by, and she glanced again at the driveway before turning her disappointment to the chipped polish on her nails and picking away at the flaking, lilac shade when it proved empty, exactly as she had expected.

“Stupid,” she muttered, voice catching in her throat, and she scratched her pinky nail clean of its lacquer.

Her stomach turned in knots, her breathing growing shallower as the seconds ticked by, and she recognized the steadily building anxiety for what it was, its miserable, tightening feeling gripping at her throat.

Another fruitless glance chanced down the steps to the front of the house, each second she spent staring miserably at the space next to her car leaving her feeling smaller.

Then, she laughed.

Bitterly.

“You’ve had centuries, and you still haven’t learned how to just shake a bad day.”

A few tears slipped free, and guilt twisted her gut as she wiped them from her cheeks. There was no sense for it. No reason. She was simply feeling down and had not been able to dispel the turmoil churning through her. It didn’t happen often, but that didn’t make things any easier when it did.

Absently, she turned her wedding set around on her finger, not noticing the way the sunset caught the diamonds and flicked warm fractals of color across her skin. Never taking note, she went back to picking at polish, sniffling a bit as she did.

_No matter how old you get, sometimes you still need a hug._

The sting of tears burned a bit more.

“Am I missing people?” Snorting in the next moment, she shook her head. No, it wasn’t that. She had friends here, and she was still in contact with those left from the past. As a matter of fact, earlier that day she had had a long chat over the phone with Inuyasha and her sister-in-law, the sounds of her nieces and nephew roaring in the background—the ones little enough to live at home.

“And they’ll be here next week.”

Another nail stripped clean, and she wondered if she should just go get the polish remover and make clean work of it.

A small smile burst through the blear of tears. “Nah. But you should stop talking to yourself.” Looking down the street, she found couples were out on their evening walk. “People might think you’re weird.”

She started on her thumb.

_Okay, I’m a little weird._

That thought made her snicker, but she sobered quickly enough. Weird or not, she still was caught in a blah day, and the deepest parts of her just wanted that to be better.

“Blah day for sure,” she grumbled, scratching at another nail. “I haven’t even started dinner.” A quick glance at the cell left sitting on the porch rail made her widen her eyes.

“Shit.” She snatched it up, eyes growing wider when she saw the time. “Seven o’clock already?” With a groan, she sank back down on the swing. Time had more than gotten away from her, and she groaned. “I should call for deliv—”

Car engine.

Kagome’s head shot up, and she glanced down the street to see the familiar black sedan driving down the street.

Her heart surged.

Sitting straighter, she watched with little butterflies swirling in her stomach as he pulled into the driveway and parked. He didn’t get out right away. Something or another distracted him inside of the vehicle as he gathered his things, taking a moment to breathe before switching gears between work and home. But he was here, and even as she waited those last seconds for him to collect himself, she felt the stirrings of relief deep within.

New tears formed in her eyes, and she had to stop herself from running down the porch steps and diving straight into that car.

“Just wait,” she said to herself, trying to force her muscles to relax so she didn’t look ready to spring when he walked up.

Her swing swayed in the evening breeze, but even the gentle motion did nothing to ease the tight coil of nerves wound through her body.

A minute later, the car door opened, and Sesshoumaru stepped out, keys and wallet in hand as he typed something into his phone.

 _Probably texting Martin,_ she thought, watching him click send before closing the door with a soft click. And then, immediately, his eyes found hers.

She held her breath.

It was one of those long, stretched out moments that were probably far shorter than they seemed. She watched him watch her, the dark navy of his scrubs standing out starkly against his fair features. And in the dying light, she could _just_ detect the subtle flare of his nostrils as he sought her scent, sought to understand the unspoken words in her gaze.

His face softened.

Not waiting another moment, he tucked his belongings into his pockets and headed for the house, and Kagome finally remembered to breathe as the heavy fall of his footsteps thudded against the stairs.

She moved to stand.

“Stay.” His voice, low and deep, rumbled over her as he held up his hand. “I will come to you.”

He did more than just go to her. As tears threatened to burst out of their dam once again, he bent and kissed her hello before lifting her up as if she weighed nothing. Then, he stretched himself out on the swing, settling her between his legs as he did.

Kagome’s back pressed to his chest, and she let her head fall back against his shoulder, closing her eyes as the repressed liquid finally slipped free.

Sesshoumaru wrapped around her and held her close. “Rough day?”

She laughed, the sound watery. “For no good reason.”

“Mmm.” His lips pressed to her temple, and when he reached for the phone in her hand, she let him have it. “Do we have wine?”

“You mean that red?”

“Yes.”

“Yeah, it’s still in there.” Looking down at the phone, she watched him opened the food delivery app and start placing an order to their favorite Italian place and felt her lip quiver.

He had noticed.

“Sesshoumaru—”

“Shh.” He squeezed her arm reassuringly. “Let me take care of it.”

Her tears slipped out a little faster. Without her saying a thing, he had noticed her struggle. Youkai sense probably helped a bit there. With his sense of smell, he’d know dinner was not waiting. But he said nothing and simply stepped in, taking care of it simply because at that moment he was the capable one.

Chest hitching, she squeezed him back. “Thank you.”

Humming quietly behind her, he set the phone down and pulled her closer, and Kagome wrapped her hands around his forearms, clenching her eyes shut as she turned to tuck her head under his chin.

This— _he_ —was what she needed.

For a few minutes, they sat in silence, the sun dropping lower and darkness creeping in as the swing rocked back and forth. It was the first time she had felt at peace all day, and she basked in his presence, grateful for something so unassuming as quiet strength and the comfort.

“I needed this,” she whispered, almost ashamed to admit it.

He kissed her hair and wrapped her tighter. “It is okay to need it.”

Her breath shuddered as she exhaled, her head nodding as she did.

“Relax,” he murmured in her ear.

She sank into him just a bit more, letting one hand drift up and back to pull the clip from his hair and let it loose. He let out an appreciative sound as he strands fell free, and she massaged the nape of his neck. “I know you’re dying to get that makeup off your face and take a shower.”

“Come with me.” His teeth grazed the shell of her ear before he pressed a kiss there. “Dinner will not be here until eight.”

A small smile quirked her lips. “Thinking ahead?”

His own turned up against her temple. “Always.”

Threading her fingers through his, she noticed how the ends of his nails were slowly headed back toward their normally tapered points and rubbed her thumb over the tip of his. He’d have to clip them again tomorrow. “Shower sounds nice.”

And it did. Warm water, warm skin, a few moments alone… _maybe I can convince him to take a bath…_ and then dinner and wine. Maybe even a movie while wrapped up together under a blanket on the couch since it was Friday and he had this Saturday off.

She inhaled, the gloom she had felt all day slowly slipping away.

“You are feeling better.”

“I think you might have something to do with that.”

They stood then, her first and him following. And as soon as he was up on his feet, Kagome went back into his arms, squeezing tightly around his middle.

“This is not a shower,” he chuckled, wrapping around her once again.

“No, it’s better.” Tipping her chin, she rested against his sternum, grinning up at him. “It’s my soft place to fall.”

The abs under her arms tightened, and Sesshoumaru snorted. “Soft?”

“Oh, stop it.” Kagome rolled her eyes, grinning bigger. “You know what I mean.”

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Just a little piece that came to me today. Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed. Shout-out to all friends and significant others who give us that place we can turn to, even when the reasons for our blues don't make sense. <3


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